Sound Ninja Aren't All Bad Are They
by Ayumi Ishii
Summary: The story of my Akatsuki character, starting with when she left the Sound and ending when she joins the Akatsuki... I'm not asking you to say that she's good deep down, because there are decisions that she didn't have to make... she's pretty messed up....
1. Chapter 1

Yeah.... here it is.... the story of Toshi, from the Neverending Roleplay....

Don't be too harsh on your reviews, please... I wrote most of this late at night in a notebook, and when you're hand-writing something in the middle of the night, everything makes sense...

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**Sound Ninja Aren't All Bad… Are They?**

**Chapter 1**

Wantonabe Toshi staggered from the Sound Village's hospital to her home. Her acquaintances laughed at her for still choosing to live with her parents at sixteen, but she didn't care. She hardly ever saw her family, anyway.

The reason she was staggering was the large amount of blood she lost and the painkillers given to her by the medical ninja. She paused in the doorway to kick off her shoes and to regain her center of balance.

Almost immediately after Toshi set foot in the house, her younger siblings, Satoshi and Riko, came rushing into the front room. Toshi knelt to embrace her brother and sister, and then stood in order to talk with her parents.

"I need to go on missions less often," she told them, lifting up her bandaged right hand. "This is the second mission in a row that my right arm has been injured." Toshi flexed the remaining three fingers on her right hand to emphasize her point.

Her father was not impressed. "Toshi, I think that your problem is the fact that you haven't been training you taijutsu and ninjutsu enough. Your excessive genjutsu training is making you more vulnerable to a frontal attack than you normally would be."

Toshi nodded. "I understand," she said. "Tomorrow I will train only taijutsu and ninjutsu." Suddenly, all her forgotten dizziness hit her full on, and her legs crumpled beneath her before her deep blue eyes fluttered closed.

Toshi's father carried the red-haired sixteen-year-old up to her room and laid her down in her bed. "Good-night, Toshi," he whispered. It would be the last time he did so.

When Toshi came to, she was crumpled in a corner of the small living room. She shoved her hand out to the wall for support, and a red pain shot through her arm, coming from her shoulder. _How did that happen? _She thought. She didn't remember injuring her shoulder on her last mission. And then she saw the bodies. Her parents, their parents, and little Satoshi were all lying on the floor. Dead. Horror and sickness overcame her for an instant as she took in the ghastly sight. She looked over at her still throbbing right shoulder and yanked one of he father's kunai from it. Then the full force of what she had done hit her. Somehow, she had lost control of herself. She had often done it on missions, but never in the Sound Village. What color was left in her face drained away and was replaced by a sickly pallor. She couldn't have done this! It was impossible!

The sound of a crying child brought Toshi out of the panicked stupor. Was Riko still alive? It was possible, Toshi had to admit, but very unlikely. It was probably just her imagination. But still, the crying persisted. Toshi followed the sound of her little sister's crying into the kitchen and into the cabinet under the sink. She opened the door to find that Riko had indeed survived. She was frightened and trembling, but at least she was alive.

Toshi gently took her sister out of the cabinet and lifted the panic-stricken child to her hip. Though she was glad that at least her sister had survived the massacre, she wished that it had never happened in the first place. There was only one thing left to do, and that was to turn herself in. setting her little sister down outside the house, Toshi did her best to seek out Orochimaru.

He was exactly where she thought he'd be. In fact, by the way he smiled, Toshi almost thought that he had been expecting her. "Orochimaru-sama," she said hastily, bowing slightly in a respectful greeting. Orochimaru didn't say anything; he only smiled. He had never greeted Toshi. Her promise was not great enough for her to receive any manner of greeting or praise from Orochimaru.

"I understand, Toshi, that you have committed a terrible crime," Orochcimaru began. "You have single-handedly killed your entire immediate family but your sister. What do you have to say to these charges?" He smiled as he passed his long tongue around his lips.

"The only way I can justify what I have done is by saying that I was not aware of what I was doing. I've often lost control of myself during missions, though it has never happened in the village." Toshi reached up with her right had to run her fingers through her longish red hair, but stopped, realizing that she had not yet received the digits she\had been promised.

Kabuto, the young medical ninja who was always following Orochimaru everywhere, spoke up. "I would like to ask a question of you sister, Toshi-san. May I?"

Toshi nodded. "Hai, Kabuto-san," she said softly.

When Kabuto brought Riko to where they were rather privately meeting, he asked her a simple question. "Was it your older sister who attacked and killed your parents and brother?"

Riko only looked more scared. "Toshi-neechan? She's never hurt anybody in my house on purpose."

Kabuto pressed harder. "But was it Toshi who attacked you and your family?"

Riko looked a little bit confused. "She looked like Toshi-neechan, but scary. Her eyes were white all the way through, and Toshi-neechan's are blue." She looked up at her older sister, trying to assemble a likeness chart between Toshi and her attacker within her head. "I guess it could have been Toshi-neechan, if you change her eyes." Not wanting harm to come to her sister, Riko added, "Daddy hurt the person who attacked us. He stabbed her in the right shoulder with his kunai."

Toshi took her hand away from her right shoulder, which she had been holding, and showed it to Orochimaru and Kabuto. It was red with blood.

Riko stared at her older sister in horror, her eyes wide and beginning to well with tears.

"I didn't come to plead innocent," Toshi said angrily, glaring at Kabuto, "I came to confess. I know I've done it, so punish me already. And keep Riko out of it, will you? I found her scared half to death under the kitchen sink."

Kabuto ignored Toshi's request. "May I ask you another question, Riko-chan?" he asked with feigned kindness.

This drove Toshi over the edge. "I said to keep her out of it!" she yelled as she once more lost control of herself.

The private meeting quickly turned into a public spectacle. Only those watching closely could tell that in that instant, Wantonabe Toshi's eyes faded quickly from almost black to pure white, and her expression changed from one of remorse to one of pure malice. Those who weren't watching closely only saw a sixteen-year-old jounin attack Orochimaru for no reason at all.

Kabuto responded quickly by knocking Toshi out using the same technique he used to render Inuzuka Kiba unconscious during Konoha's chuunin exams. Toshi's eyes snapped back to blue and closed in almost the same instant as she crumpled to the ground at Kabuto's feet. Kabuto looked at Orochimaru. "She confessed, Orochimaru-sama. She needs to be punished for what she's done.

"Not yet," Orochimaru replied, smiling. "Let the other medical ninja treat her first. After all, true physical pain is known to break genjutsu, and we don't want that to happen."

**End Chapter 1**

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**So yeah, you're probably wondering why in the world Orochimaru even cares that Toshi killed her family, and I know.... he wouldn't care. In fact, he doesn't care, but it's the fact that Toshi didn't like the fact that she killed her parents that made him mad...ish...

So, first installment of story overwith... next chapter you get to see how she got so messed up in the head... visit my dA to find out what her ending personality is... if you want to...

Won't add another chapter until someone I don't know leaves a review.


	2. Chapter 2

Here it is... chapter 2... AKA how Toshi gets so extremely messed up in the head...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters in Naruto, except Toshi, Riko, adn Akira (They're the only ones left by this point)

Grin & Bear It (I told you he'd come in, didn't I?): Um, Usagi...?

Me: What?

Grin & Bear It: shouldn't you put that little "warning" that you were planning on...?

Me: I'm working on it! don't rush me! Anyway, enjoy (if possible)!

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**Sound Ninja Aren't All Bad… Are They?**

**Chapter 2**

Toshi woke in a hospital bed. Her major injuries had been healed by the medical ninja, and two mechanical fingers specially designed to be able to play the flute were in place where her original fingers once were. She didn't hurt anywhere, but she figured that _that_ was about to change. Orochmaru's favorite punishment for crossing him was genjutsu torture. The very fact that she had been healed was proof that Orochimaru wanted the genjutsu to take full effect.

She was led to and underground area where Tayuya of the Sound Five awaited. As if on signal, Tayuya put her flute to her lips and began to induce her genjutsu. Orochimaru's instructions rang in Toshi's ears up until the instant the genjutsu hit. "Do not kill her, but break her. Such a talented ninja cannot be wasted."

Toshi began screaming almost immediately after Tayuya began playing. She clutched at her skull and clawed at it, as if she was trying to split open her head to expel the genjutsu.

In the village, people heard the screaming, but they thought nothing of it. After almost every mission, Orochimaru gave the order for a person to be tortured with genjutsu. They were used to the screaming.

Toshi writhed on the ground in pain, screaming until she had no breath left. Screaming turned to choking gasps as Toshi fought the pain for air.

Tayuya saw the struggle for release and allowed even more chakra to flow into her would-be deadly song.

After what seemed like several hours of Toshi's torture, Kabuto placed a hand on Tayuya's shoulder, interrupting the song. "I think she's had enough. Any more and you could kill her," he said.

Tayuya nodded and released her genjutsu hold on Toshi.

Toshi's lay unmoving on the ground, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her body's only function now was to keep her alive. The genjutsu had permanently damaged her mind, and she made no conscious effort to move.

When the shock of the illusion began to ebb, Toshi managed to lift herself to her feet and began to walk back to her home. Her head hung limply on her neck, and her feet dragged the ground.

The villagers were seeing two sights that they had never seen before. Not only had they never seen anyone emerge alive from genjutsu torture, but they had never seen Wantonabe Toshi with her spirit broken. Some people gawked at the red-haired teenager, but a few tried to help her. One of Toshi's teammates, who was also her best friend, helped her more than anyone. When Toshi stumbled and did not get up, he carried her into his home and laid her down on his bed. He shut the door quietly and went back into the village.

When Toshi awoke, she found herself sprawled on her friend's bed. His name rose slowly from the back of her mind to her lips. "Akira-san," she murmured. With a sick kind of glee, she realized that this was the first thing she had said since the morning she had faced the genjutsu. Of course, not even a day had passed, but Toshi didn't know that. Part of her shuddered to think of that horrifying experience, but somehow, a small giggle erupted from her throat.

Then Toshi's memory fully returned. The laughter died in her throat, and her body was racked with sobs.

Akira walked into his room to find his best friend sobbing on his bed. He quietly walked to her side and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Toshi shrieked, slapping his hand away. For an instant, hatred shone strongly in her eyes, but it faded when Toshi threw her arms around Akira's shoulders and began sobbing again. "Help me," she whispered, "I don't know what's wrong with me." She took a shuddering breath as Akira returned the embrace. She pushed herself away from her teammate. The sadness in her tearstained face had vanished, and in its place, determination shone strongly in her blue eyes. "I—have to leave," she said.

"No, Toshi-san! You can't leave! You're still valuable to the village. Please stay." Akira looked at his best friend in horror.

"Please, Akira-san," Toshi said, trying to calm him down. "I'm not doing it because I want to, I'm doing it because I _have_ to." Her eyes darkened. "If I did stay, how many people would have to die before you were convinced that I had to leave? Twenty? What would happen if I killed you? I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you and it was my fault. You know that I don't kill for pleasure. Akira, you know that I don't kill at all if I can help it."

"Where will you go, Toshi-chan?" Akira said softly, intent on making his friend stay.

The sudden change in honorific startled Toshi. Akira hadn't called her Toshi-chan at least since they had made it through the chuunin exams together. "I—I—I—well, I don't really know, Akira-kun. If I can move faster than a message can, then I'll try at Konoha. If not, I don't know where I'll go… maybe if I tried the River Country…"

Akira knew, like almost all Sound Ninja that knew much about Orochimaru, that the village of Konoha was Orochimaru's original home. Realizing that he couldn't prevent her from leaving, he embraced his teammate for one final time.

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**WARNING! THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS "MUSHY" STUFF! SKIP TO THE NEXT DOUBLE LINE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE MUSHY STUFF!**

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**Toshi returned his embrace warmly, knowing bitterly that she would never see her friend again. A thought struck her. Maybe, just maybe, she could give Akira something to remember her by. She gently linked her hands behind Akira's neck and touched her lips to his.

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**THERE, IT'S OVER! READ ON AND ENJOY IF YOU CAN!!**

Grin & Bear It: Um... Usagi...?

Me: **WHAT?!!?**

Grin & Bear It: I think you forgot to turn the Bold off...

Me: (messes around on keyboard) Is that better?

Grin & Bear It: Yup...

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Akira pulled away quickly, breaking the embrace. He watched as Toshi cut a lock from her long red hair with a kunai. Realizing what she was doing, Akira took his own knife and cut some of his own hair off with it, wrapping it in a small bundle. He and Toshi exchanged their bundles. "I'll never forget you, Toshi-chan," he said sadly.

"Nor I you, Akira-kun," Toshi replied. Toshi started as Akira suddenly placed her bag in her hands.

"I made sure that your flute was inside before I took it from your house. There's food in there, packaged into daily rations. I don't know how long it will last, but it'd better than nothing. If you leave now, I might be able to delay tracking ninja, if they are sent." Akira urged his friend on, willing her to be safe more than he wished for her to remain.

"Good-bye, Akira-kun!" Toshi said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before he could back away. She jumped out his window onto the street below and ran out of the village.

Akira watched his friend disappear from view, wondering if he would ever see her again

**End Chapter 2**

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**It's OVER!! Not really, just the chapter... now I need to type up the rest of it... GRIN AND BEAR IT!

G&BI: Uh... hi...?

Me: Remember to remind me to work on typing up the rest of the story on Sammy... (Sammy is the name of my laptop...)

(Five minutes of silence)

G&BI: Usagi...

Me: what?

G&BI: Don't forget to type the rest of the story on Sammy

Me: (gives G&BI and V8 in the forehead)


	3. Chapter 3

Uh... this one's really long... I didn't realize how long it was until I ran the word count on Word...

Anyway, once again, Enjoy (if possible)

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**Sound Ninja Aren't All Bad… Are They?**

**Chapter 3**

Toshi ran for at least an hour before she decided to rest and eat. She hadn't tasted food for days, and she knew that it was no good to keep moving if she was weakened by hunger. So, she sat down, crossed her legs, and ate a brief but late breakfast.

Upon passing a large puddle of water, Toshi noticed that she was very recognizable. She deliberately cut her hair so that it was very short. The next "village" she passed, she went to a hair stylist to have the cutting cleaned up and had all of her hair bleached but the bangs. Satisfied with her new reflection, Toshi left her hitae-ate at the bottom of her bag.

The changes to her appearance were apparently not enough. A few days after she had set out, a small group of tracking ninja recognized Toshi immediately; however, Toshi dispatched them quickly with the best and safest trick up her sleeve: a lullaby.

Toshi now felt more like a fugitive than anything. _I wonder if there's an organization of criminals who leave their villages,_ Toshi thought. _I'd probably feel better there than I ever would in Konoha._ She shook her head to clear it of suck distracting thoughts. Before Toshi reached Konoha, though, she was attacked by three more teams of tracking ninja. The third group fought her after she buried all of her Sound-related objects. When the tracking team reached her, Toshi was nearly defenseless. By the time that the team of tracking ninja was completely unconscious, Toshi was bleeding profusely from various wounds. She heard footsteps approaching and hoped for her life that they belonged to someone with good intentions as her whole world went black.

Toshi woke before she opened her eyes. She did her best to decipher her surroundings. Her face felt strange, and the air she breathed was unusually pure. She was wearing an oxygen mask. _Was I that far gone? _she thought. Medical instruments that were undoubtedly hooked up to her beeped and whirred as they continued to scan and report her vital signs. Toshi opened her dark blue eyes and noticed things that her keen ears had not detected. There was an IV drip connected to her left wrist and bandages covered both arms as far as her shoulders. The machine reading Toshi's pulse beeped faster as she began to panic. How long had she been out? Would the last team of tracking ninja have returned by now, bringing news of her supposed death? What would this news do to Akira and Riko?

The increased rate of Toshi's pulse brought two medical ninja running in to the room to see what was wrong. They quickly checked all of her vitals and, finding that there was no change except in pulse, they ran out of the room to summon Tsunade to interrogate their patient.

Toshi realized how exhausted she was. The simple effort of staying awake was hard now. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She was asleep before she let the breath out.

The next time she woke, two young ninja were discussing the condition she had been in when she had been found.

"She just about bled to death," one of them said. It was a girl.

"She's lucky that you found her, dattebayo," said the other. A boy.

Toshi opened her eyes, blinking to clarify what she saw. Both ninja looked about three years younger than Toshi. The girl had short pink hair and large green eyes. The boy was blonde with blue eyes and a rather stupid expression on his face. If not for the expression and the strange black marks on his face, Toshi could have sworn that her little brother Satoshi had come back from the dead. Toshi wanted to ask them several questions, but the first one out of her mouth was, "Can I sit up?" This was followed by a startled gasp from both Toshi and the pink-haired girl. Toshi had gasped because she realized that the oxygen mask was no longer on her face.

The pink-haired girl had gasped because she had not been aware that the patient was awake. She stood up quickly and helped Toshi sit up by moving the pillows around. "I'll go get Tsunade-sama; she wants to talk with you. Naruto, make sure nothing happens to her." She rushed out of the room.

The boy called Naruto nodded at the pink haired girl. "Hai, Sakura-chan," he said. He turned to Toshi. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he said, extending his hand.

Toshi took it and shook it slightly. "Wantonabe Toshi," she replied. Her eyes moved from his pure blue eyes to the symbol on his forehead protector. "Am I in… Konoha?" she asked. _Why did I just ask that? I could have gathered that I was in Konoha by the fact that I passed out at the village gate._ Toshi scolded herself inwardly.

Naruto nodded and opened his mouth, about to ask which village Toshi had come from, but at that moment, Tsunade came into the room. "Naruto, are you disturbing the patient? She just had a life-threatening experience. I don't think she's ready for useless chatter." Tsunade began to shoo Naruto out of the room.

"You—you don't need to do that," Toshi said suddenly. "I—I mean, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to me. Before I got a grip on my training, it happened to me a lot… so I guess I'm used to it."

"How old are you, what village do you come from, and what rank were you when you left your village?" Tsunade asked, pushing Naruto all the way out the door and closing it behind him.

"I'm sixteen," Toshi began. "I…I _came_ from the Sound…" Toshi trailed off. She had noticed Tsunade's eyes widen.

_(at about this time in the series, Sasuke had already left Konoha. He left Konoha probably two or three days after Toshi left the Sound, because Tayuya and the rest of the Sound Five had to reach Konoha.)_

"Go on," Tsunade urged.

Toshi gulped. "I—I was a jounin when I left."

"A jounin? At sixteen? You must have been talented, to reach that rank at such a young age." Tsunade sounded doubtful.

Toshi felt even more uncomfortable. "I—I—I—I don't really know how to say this, but I wasn't really considered that great. I mean—well, I don't exactly fit the bill of what you've probably heard about Sound Ninja… I'm just… different."

"Please elaborate," Tsunade said, wanting to get as much voluntary information as possible.

"I don't kill for pleasure," Toshi said quietly, trying to suppress her rising anger. Why was Tsunade asking so many questions?

"I see," Tsunade said. "Why did you leave the Sound, if you were so talented? Was it because of the reason you just supplied?"

Toshi couldn't hold her anger back any longer. She jumped out of the hospital bed. "Why are you asking so many questions? Here's the reason I left the Sound: I killed my family. You happy now? Oh wait; you want me to elaborate, don't you?" Toshi didn't wait for a reply as she went on: "I have this thing wrong with my head, and for some reason, at random moments; I will completely lose control of myself and most likely kill anyone around me. That's how I killed my family, and that's probably what's going to happen soon if you don't stop asking me—"

Tsunade withdrew the needle out of the back of Toshi's neck and walked silently out of the room.

When Toshi woke, the voices of Naruto and Sakura stirred her from slumber.

"She really said that?" Naruto was saying. "She's really mentally sick?"

"The medical ninja don't know yet, but they're going to examine her the next time she wakes up," Sakura replied.

"Which would be now," Toshi said, standing up. "I don't see why you guys have me hooked up to all these machines. I've survived genjutsu torture and recovered on my best friend's bed, so you don't need all this stuff." She began to disconnect herself from the machines as Naruto and Sakura looked on, unwilling to do anything to stop her. "Please, if you want to know anything about my mental condition, feel free to ask. I'll be sure to elaborate. If you're lucky and get me angry enough, you might get a free demonstration, but it all depends." Toshi laughed at herself miserably. "I need to get out of here," she said. "Konoha wasn't the right place to come after all."

"You're really from the Sound?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes shining determinedly.

Toshi nodded, wondering why Naruto wanted to know this.

"Did someone about my age come there while you were there?"

Toshi blinked. "No," she said, "should I have met this person, whoever he was? He probably left a couple of days after I did. I didn't exactly travel quickly. Setting off on a journey the day after you're put through genjutsu torture isn't a good idea. Make sure you take note of that. It may come in handy later on." Toshi sat down on the bed and looked at Sakura. "So, these test that the medical ninja want to run on me, what are they exactly?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know," she said. I could go get them…"

"No, don't waste your time. The moment you left, I'd have Naruto here unconscious and tied up and I wouldn't be hare anymore." Toshi lay back down on the bed. "Just let me sleep, okay?" She fell asleep almost as soon as she shut her eyes.

Toshi's eyes snapped open. She had stayed in the hospital for too long. Having already disconnected herself from the machines, she picked up her pack, which she found lying on the floor in a corner, and jumped out the window, landing lightly on her feet.

After finding out that Tsunade was not only an excellent medical ninja, but the Hokage as well, Toshi made her way to the mission office. On her way there, she ran into Naruto and Sakura, who were heading in the same direction.

"Toshi-neechan, did they let you out?" Naruto asked, obviously confused.

"Nah, I got tired of being there and jumped out the window. Don't call me that." Toshi couldn't meet Naruto's eyes.

"Call you what, Toshi-neechan?" Naruto asked.

"That. Don't _ever_ call me Toshi-neechan again. My brother used to call me that, and you've got me depressed enough about him with the way you look and all, so don't call me that." Toshi turned to Sakura, who was still looking at Toshi with a weirded-out expression on her face.

"You jumped out the window?" Sakura asked, amazed.

"Uh… yeah. What's the big deal? I warned you that I was messed up in the head, didn't I?" Without waiting for a reply, Toshi turned back to Naruto. "Could you please tell Tsunade-sama that I want to talk with her? There are a few things I wanted to ask her."

"Sure, on one condition, dattebayo."

"Name your price."

"After I finish this mission, you have to take me out for ramen, and it's your treat!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at her teammate and smiled. This stopped Toshi in her tracks. Why was it that these ninja were so close at genin level? She and Akira became friends when they went through the chuunin exams, friends bonded by trauma. These two were almost as close as Toshi and Akira were just before Toshi left, and they hadn't known each other for as long. There was something that the Konoha ninja had that she wanted, something she didn't have. Maybe, just maybe, she wanted to ask Tsunade if she could be a part of it. Toshi's head was in a spin as she paid a man who ran an apartment complex for rent and even as she lay down on the bed within. She soon fell asleep, her mind exhausted by confusion.

**End Chapter 3**

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**Chapter 3 is overwith... now I need to finish typing up chapter 4...


	4. Chapter 4

Here it is... Chapter 4! One more chapter and an epilogue to go!! Woohoo!! Anyway, enjoy (if possible) and remember--

1) Never tickle a sleeping dragon

2) I wrote most of this story very late at night, so don't criticize too harshly...

3) More on the RP won't come until Need Arrms posts the rest of her part...

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**Sound Ninja Aren't All Bad… Are They?**

**Chapter 4**

Toshi did not stay asleep for long. She finished her errand to the mission office and patiently waited for ninja to receive assignments so she could talk with Tsunade. The first thing out of her mouth was, "You need to get better security in the hospital. Getting out of there was a piece of cake."

"But I knew that you wouldn't leave without these," Tsunade said, opening a small package on her desk.

Toshi gasped when she saw the contents. Her flute, bells, and Sound hitae-ate were all inside. "Actually," she began, "I didn't come to ask for my things, although I would like to have them back, if you didn't mind. I came because of something I noticed between Sakura and Naruto. They are so close, as if they have been friends since before genin level. In the Sound, my teammates and I never even noticed each other until we were assigned to the same team. It was just by some freak chance that one of them and I ended up so close. There's something in Konoha that I want but don't have. I would like to serve as a jounin of the Leaf, so that I can hopefully find what's missing." Toshi averted her gaze to the floor, nervously drawing her right hand through her short hair.

Tsunade was shocked at Toshi's request. A _Sound_ ninja wanting to work for _Konoha_? It was unheard of. Then again, this Sound ninja seemed to be alright. She didn't kill for pleasure, at least according to her alibi. "And what do you want for return, of I allow you to serve in Konoha?" she asked.

"Only the same treatment as a regular ninja of Konoha," Toshi replied honestly, examining the artificial digits on her right hand with a great deal of interest. That is, until she noticed Tsunade staring at them. "I—I suppose you might want to know what happened to my hand," she stammered, quickly hiding it behind her back.

Tsunade nodded.

"I was on a mission, and I hadn't been training my taijutsu and ninjutsu enough and had focused on my genjutsu a little too much. I exposed myself to an open attack and barely dodged in time. I lost these two fingers." Toshi pointed to the artificial digits. "I received several other injuries as well, and one of my teammates blocked a potentially fatal blow that was meant for me. He died almost instantly. My last mission in the Sound, and I lost a teammate. The other I left heartbroken when he hears of my supposed death." Toshi's deep blue eyes filled with sorrow. "My genjutsu is next to useless without my flute. The ones that I don't need my flute for are painful for the person on the receiving end, so I don't use those very often, though I will use them if necessity calls for it. From now on, I will use mainly ninjutsu and taijutsu and use genjutsu only as a last resort. Please allow me to wear the Leaf hitae-ate and say that I am a ninja of Konoha."

Tsunade weighed the odds in her head. Was this person a mentally unstable Sound Ninja who still needed research to see what her actual state of mind was, or a kindhearted, willing jounin with exceptional genjutsu abilities? The risk was great, but so was the gain. Finally, she made a decision. "You can wear the Leaf forehead protector as a sign that you are a Konoha jounin on two conditions."

"I'm willing to pay any price for this. I need to know what it is that I'm missing," Toshi said determinedly.

"Condition one: you have to come in daily, except when you're on a mission, so we can make sure that you won't kill anyone any time soon. If we find a relapse coming, or anything of the sort, we keep you at the hospital until it's past." Tsunade looked up at the Sound ninja, who was nervously looking down at the floor. "Condition two: you must prove your abilities against three ninja that well represent each mode of combat." She nodded at Shizune, who opened a door. "For taijutsu, you will fight Maito Gai."

A man in a green jumpsuit sprang into the room. Toshi couldn't help but notice his enormous eyebrows and ridiculous bowl cut.

"For ninjutsu, Hatake Kakashi."

A man with tired eyes, grey hair, a mask covering half hi face, and his hitae-ate covering his left eye shuffled in, his nose buried in a book.

"And for genjutsu, Kurenai."

A young woman with long black hair and red eyes walked in.

You will fight each one at a time. Gai will show you to a training ground where you will begin your trial." Tsunade nodded at Gai, who dashed off with Toshi hot on his heels.

When the two ninja reached the training grounds, Gai suddenly disappeared. In response to this, Toshi froze. She stood in the center of the clearing, doing nothing. At least, that's what it _looked_ like she was doing. She was listening. She breathed almost silently, trying to pinpoint any sound that was out of place. There! Gai was approaching stealthily, almost noiselessly. His footfalls were so quiet that they would have escaped the notice of and ordinary ninja. But Toshi heard every step; years of musical training had given her a highly refined sense of hearing.

Gai leaped at Toshi, hoping to catch her off guard. His opponent spun around much too quickly for if she had just noticed him. Gai received a foot in his gut for his efforts.

Toshi looked down at her fallen opponent. "Your approach was quiet, but not silent. I heard every footfall, and I was ready." She helped Gai to his feet. "Try a more frontal attack. I'm not as good at predicting those."

Gai and Toshi were locked in combat, evenly matched. At least for a while they were. Both moved faster that the human eye could follow.

But someone's eyes could follow. Hatake Kakashi was watching the battle with interest. His forehead protector was in the right position, revealing that his left eye had the famous Uchiha Sharingan

Gai was beginning to tire, and Toshi landed more and more blows, making it more painful to continue. Toshi was beginning to win this battle.

Kakashi watched as his rival faced defeat at the hands of a girl not much older than Naruto. "When she wins, he'll say that it was all because of the power of her youth, I'll bet," he said to himself. "I'd better intervene before Gai gets hurt." He left the tree silently.

Toshi was finally beginning to tire, but she kept going as she had trained her body to do. _Keep fighting until your chakra runs out or your opponent surrenders, dies, or passes out _was her motto. She froze when she felt a kunai pressed against her neck. She smiled. These shinobi didn't trust her. Good. "You know, Kakashi," she said, "I honestly thought that this was a taijutsu trial, not one of ninjutsu." She knew by the sound of his breathing that the man holding the kunai was none other than Hatake Kakashi.

"It was," Kakashi said, "but now _I'm_ your opponent."

Toshi's smile broadened as she quickly replaced herself with a log and ran off into the trees, moving silently and concealing herself instantly.

Kakashi saw the transformation take place and also saw the path that Toshi pursued through the forest. He followed.

The battle of ninjutsu lasted far longer than that of taijutsu. The two fighting were evenly matched, both having a greater sense of awareness than your average Joe. They fought until it grew dark and then light again. Both competitors were tiring now, and they were both breathing hard.

Toshi held up a hand as a signal to stop. She sat down almost instantly, trying to catch her breath.

Kakashi realized that his opponent was about to surrender, and spoke. "I'll call this a draw. I don't want this battle to go 'til one of us passes out, because then you wouldn't be able to continue this."

Toshi stared at Kakashi in surprise for a moment. "I—I've never been so evenly matched before," she stammered. "I thank you for allowing this to turn out all right." Her eyes betrayed for the briefest instant that she could not have fought for much longer before collapsing.

"Very well," Kakashi said, "you opponent is now Kurenai." He darted off to his previous hiding place.

Toshi felt Kurenai's genjutsu wrap around her. Just as she was about to release the genjutsu to start her own, memory played a cruel trick on her. She was back in the Sound, under the fiery grip of Tayuya's genjutsu. Back in Konoha, Toshi screamed and fell to the ground, clutching at her head in agony.

Kurenai released the genjutsu, but her opponent did not get up.

Toshi was at the whim of her memories, trembling in fear and pain on the ground. Gradually her mind sank into the abyss of unconsciousness…

**End Chapter 4

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YAY!! Chapter 4 is gone!! Now I just need to put the other chapters on my jump drive...


	5. Chapter 5 and Epilogue

This is what you've waited so (coughs) patiently for... THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THIS STORY!!!

read and enjoy! don't forget to tell me what you think!!

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**Sound Ninja Aren't All Bad… Are They?**

**Chapter 5**

Toshi woke because of the light streaming in through her window. She grabbed one of her pillows and placed it on the back of her head, planting her face on the other pillow. Realizing that she could not go back to sleep, she tossed her pillows aside and swung her legs over the side of the side of the bed. The bandages on her arms were fresh, meaning that she had been treated before being taken home. But when? How? She wasn't even aware of telling _any_ of the Konoha shinobi where she lived, let alone any that she had already met.

Toshi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and quickly got dressed. She had just attached her weapons pouch to her right thigh and was preparing to go down for her shoes when she heard a noise outside the window. She opened the window, leaned out, and cam face to face with none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

"Toshi-neechan, remember you promised you would take me out for ramen, dattebayo," he said, frowning.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me 'neechan'? Oh, well, I guess I still have to take you out for ramen, don't I?" Toshi mumbled. "Just wait for me outside the door to this building." _Like a normal person_, she added silently. She closed the window and, grabbing her money pouch, she trudged to the ground floor of the apartment complex, only pausing to pull her shoes on, and out the door. She left her hair in the messy state it had been in when she woke.

Naruto led Toshi to a ramen bar called Ichiraku. While he made his determined order, Toshi took in the village scene. It was much bigger than the Sound, and there were many more people. She was so enthralled with observing the village that she didn't even notice that Naruto had ordered for her until the old man behind the counter set a bowl down in front of her. Toshi almost laughed out loud when she saw that Naruto had ordered naruto on her ramen. Noticing the same thing on Naruto's ramen, she asked, "Shouldn't this be considered cannibalism? After all, Naruto is eating naruto."

Naruto stopped eating and looked at Toshi, obviously not getting the joke.

Toshi grinned at Naruto, and then burst out laughing at his shocked expression. The two people behind the counter laughed as well, leaving Naruto even more confused.

Over the course of the next month, Toshi and Naruto would meet between missions and eat ramen, taking turns paying for the meals. One night, Naruto asked Toshi why she was so distant most of the time.

"The other shinobi don't trust me," she answered, looking glumly at her bowl of ramen.

"Why, Toshi-neechan?" Naruto asked, his eyes shining with innocence.

"Because they have no reason to," Toshi said before going on. "According to Tsunade, my mental state is extremely delicate. I could fall into a relapse given the right stimuli, and the medical ninja still haven't figured out what that is. When she was testing my abilities, just a genjutsu sent me into shock, and I collapsed. The next time I have a relapse, it could be worse. I might hurt someone, or maybe kill them." Toshi avoided Naruto's gaze.

"I trust you, Toshi-neechan," Naruto said quietly.

Toshi jumped out of her stool at the ramen bar. "You idiot!" she yelled, slapping Naruto across the face. "Didn't you hear anything I just said? I could kill you without even realizing it, and I'm sure that no one wants that!" Toshi's eyes filled with tears as she ran to the outskirts of the village. Naruto found her the next day in a tree, her left leg hanging down. Noticing the young genin, Toshi threw a heavy branch at him, yelling "Go away!" She stayed in the tree for three days without eating or sleeping.

Finally, a group of medical ninja retrieved the sleep-deprived jounin from her perch. Dark circles had formed under her eyes, which darted angrily back and forth and were gradually fading. Toshi yelled and swore and fought the medical ninja to no avail. One of the medical ninja pulled out a syringe filled with a strong sedative and pushed the needle into the back of her neck, causing almost instant unconsciousness for easy removal to the hospital.

Naruto learned from Sakura that Toshi had had a relapse of a more severe kind. If she hadn't run off like she did, then Naruto would probably be dead. Of course, Naruto didn't hold this against her, but pitied her.

Toshi was kept away from Naruto for a long time. The medical ninja still couldn't figure out what stimulus it was that caused her relapse, though. She had several in her absence from Naruto. But when the medical ninja finally cleared her to be able to see Naruto again, she was saying goodbye. While Naruto was gone, Toshi grew colder and colder to those around her. After finding out that there was a criminal organization and where it was from a knowing villager, she looked for an opening to leave Konoha. She found her opportunity some time between Naruto's departure and his return while she was on a solo mission. Making sure that she had all of her Sound equipment, including the hitae-ate and her flute, she removed her Leaf forehead protector. Taking a kunai in her hand, she sliced open a deep gash in her left palm. She grasped her Konoha hitae-ate in that hand and held it tightly until a good deal of blood had soaked into the fabric. She walked on the river she was following until she found a clearing. She threw her blood-soaked forehead protector as hard as she could, then cleaned and bandaged her left palm. She traveled down the river into the River Country.

**Epilogue**

When Naruto returned from his training with Jiraiya two and a half years after his departure, he was informed of Toshi's death, and that they had never found her body. The only trace of her existence left was a Leaf hitae-ate soaked with her blood. Most remembered the circumstances of Toshi's arrival and suspected that the tracking ninja had finally bested her. A few suspected suicide, but they were wrong too. None would ever imagine the deep blue eyes glowing in the darkness of a cave, belonging to a person wearing a hitae-ate with a music note and a single slash, a black coat with red clouds on it, and a ring reading "lullaby"…

**End of Story, "Sound Ninja Aren't All Bad… Are They?"**

**Now go and start reading the RP, because you get to see Toshi in it, as well as her teammate whom she loathes with a passion.**

**This has been Author Ayumi Ishii, signing out…**


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